Honeybees are good source for natural antibiotics
By SUZY COHEN Dear Pharmacist on Sep 14, 2013, at 7:14 AM Updated on 9/15/13 at 9:29 AM
Column - Dear Pharmacist
Dear Pharmacist, I have neck pain, sciatica and headaches. I've tried prednisone, Celebrex, Ibuprofen, Vicodin, physical therapy, chiropractors, massage, reiki, acupuncture, prayer work, laser and two surgeries on my neck.
Dear Pharmacist, I am 60 years old, and now I'm told I have osteoarthritis. My doctor said that there is no known "cure." I need to know the best natural treatments. - O.W. Melbourne, Fla.
Dear Pharmacist, I take a dozen
antibiotics per year due to frequent
infections. What else can I take? Don’t
worry, I take probiotics, what I want
is a natural antibiotic. — M.W., Santa
Barbara, Calif.
For millions of years, honeybees
have protected themselves
with a sticky substance
called propolis to coat and
clean their hives. Call it “bee
glue” this compound has
exceptional medicinal benefits
just like other tree saps such
as frankincense and myrrh.
Propolis has more than 200
active ingredients including
cinnamic acid derivatives that
can cause cancer cells inside
you to kill themselves (even
leukemia). It has antibacterial,
antiviral, antiseptic, anti-fungal
and antimicrobial effects.
I’m stocking up now before
cough and cold season rolls
in. The Brazilian species, as in
Brazilian green propolis, has
higher amounts of these healing
compounds and is sold at
health food stores and online.
When combined with vitamin
D, probiotics, matcha tea,
maitake mushrooms and prescribed
low-dose naltrexone
(LDN about 4.5mg at night),
I am confident you will ramp
up your immune system. Talk
to your doctor about these
options.
Propolis also can rapidly
clear the body of dangerous
pathogens, improve blood
sugar and cholesterol, all the
while reducing pain-causing
cytokines. It’s even an anti-inflammatory.
I’ve always been
somewhat afraid of these critters,
but after studying this,
let’s hear it for the bees!
As an antibiotic, propolis
has been shown to kill H.
pylorim, which is implicated
in gastric ulcers and colitis;
also the potentially fatal
bug MRSA. It acts on these
pathogens without destroying
your probiotic flora. I’d still
take probiotics, but it’s good
to know propolis doesn’t harm
your gut like conventional
antibiotics.
Two separate studies have
shown it works against HPV,
or human papilloma virus,
implicated in cervical cancer.
Whenever I see hype about
injecting little kids with vaccines
for HPV, I wonder why
propolis doesn’t even get
honorable mention?
Column - Dear Pharmacist
Dear Pharmacist, I have neck pain, sciatica and headaches. I've tried prednisone, Celebrex, Ibuprofen, Vicodin, physical therapy, chiropractors, massage, reiki, acupuncture, prayer work, laser and two surgeries on my neck.
Dear Pharmacist, I am 60 years old, and now I'm told I have osteoarthritis. My doctor said that there is no known "cure." I need to know the best natural treatments. - O.W. Melbourne, Fla.
